A Guest Post By Pete Tansley
I’m going to share with you the top 6 things that I use to grow my personal training business. Every trainer or business owner I speak to wants to increase the number of clients they have. And why wouldn’t you? Having more clients generally means improved cash flow, increased profits and more referrals for your business.
The problem however is that you cannot “increase your clients.”
You can only increase the number of leads you get and the number of leads you convert.
You must work on BOTH at the same time… there’s no point having more leads if your conversion rate sucks, and there’s obviously no use in having a 90% conversion rate if you don’t have regular leads coming in.
(If you’re not measuring the number of leads and the conversion rate then you must start TODAY. I’d also recommend measuring exactly where the leads are coming from, and then measure which specific lead source has the highest conversion.)
What I’m going to reveal are the top 6 ways I use to grow my business. They are all SIMPLE and if done correctly will multiply your business within days.
Firstly, let’s look at lead generation tactics…
1. Competition boxes
Health club chains have been doing this for years. They saturate their local area to build their database of leads so the sales team can contact them.
Running a competition box campaign is simple…
Go to www.leadbox.com and order the boxes. You can then design your own inserts, or hire a designer.
Then, make a list of 30 businesses that service your target market(s). Approach them, and ask “Who is the best person to speak to about sending more customers to your business?” This will get you to the decision maker – generally the owner or the manager.
Be prepared to be patient… a lot of small business owners are hard to pin down, and when they are, they’re often in the middle of making a coffee or helping a customer….
Say to them: “So John, what I’d like to talk to you about is offering you and your team complete access to my personal training studio… as my business grows I will send more and more of my clients down to your business, because we actually have a very similar target market and some of my clients already come here. In exchange, all I ask is that I can leave a small competition box in your store which will give one of your customers a free week / month of training…. What do you think?”
Then, once the box is in, empty it every 5-10 days and contact the leads whilst they are hot.
A few tips on your competition box campaign:
- Ensure pens and entry pads are all working, and that the box is clean.
- Remember, they are supplying you with leads which can earn your thousands, so appreciate them by sending gifts every month!
- If you have over 10 boxes it can be a time-consuming task; once the box is in place you may wish assign the boxes to a team member.
- Remember you are sending them business also – so ask with confidence and expect a positive response.
- 8/10 managers will say no. Don’t be offended… it is not personal.
Effectiveness: 8/10
2. Host-Beneficiary Deals
This is one of the lesser known, but super effective, lead generation tactics. In a nutshell, a host-beneficiary is where you and another business have a loose agreement to help boost each other’s profits.
Personally it’s my favourite – it’s fun, I get exposed to an established business from a source that the database trusts, and it has excellent conversion.
Here’s how to roll it out…
Firstly, find a business that shares a similar target in a non-competitive industry. For example, if your target is females aged 20-29 who care about how they look and are health-conscious, you could approach a spray-tanning company. If you’re targeting retired baby boomers, you could approach a motor home company.
Secondly, make sure the person you’re dealing with has a good attitude. Otherwise you’ll be pushing sh$% up hill and it will never work. Many business owners have a negative outlook and will be sceptical. However with persistence this will be one of the best lead generation tactics you can use.
Give an introductory letter to the store owner/manager… here’s the one I use.
Finally, you arrange for the customer letter to be sent. You pay for the printing, they just supply the leads. Here’s the last one I used.
Voila! Don’t forget to test the response and tweak it each time until your conversion is at least 5%.
Effectiveness: 10/10
By now, you should have improved your lead generation. Try to get both campaigns running, so if one source dies you still have regular leads every week.
But having a stream of new leads is pointless unless you can convert.
Here are my top 4 conversion tactics…
1. “Everything counts” attitude –
Every step from the prospect stage to new client is either adding to or taking away from the chance of a sale…. By having an “everything counts” attitude, you and your team must realize that even the smallest details matter.
Phone manner, uniform, studio cleanliness, music selection, the words used…. Every thing, no manner how trivial, will either hurt you or help you. There is no magic bullet to converting, it is the sum of all the above and more. Make sure your team are aware of this also.
2. Get them involved
The easiest way to do this is to use positive confirmations during your presentation. Some experts believe you need more than 30 “yes” responses to close. Here are the ones that work well for me….
“Are you with me [NAME]?”
“Sounds good, right?”
“Isn’t it interesting?”
“Wouldn’t it feel great to have [benefit]?”
“Doesn’t that sound good?”
Try recording your sales presentation to see how many “yeses” you can encourage. You then want to write down, word-for-word, your sales presentation so you can master it and eventually train your sales team.
3. Keep your presentation simple
When presenting the price at the end, only give 2-3 recommendations.
At this stage, the sale is already made. Recommend your best couple of packages, and most importantly ask as if the sale has already been confirmed.
Too many trainers confuse the prospect by offering all 38 of their options. KISS for best results.
4. Follow up, follow up, follow up
You have done the hard work to get the new lead and hopefully get them in for a free session. You are shooting yourself in the foot if you don’t follow up!
Hint: if they didn’t buy from you the first time, your sales message wasn’t strong enough…. So NEVER call back and ask, “Did you have a chance to think about it with your husband?”
You need to sell with more conviction and energy than the first time and make an offer that’s too good to refuse.
There you have it… my top 6 ways to boost your business. I’d love to hear how these 6 strategies work for you….
Leave your comments and questions below.
Cheers
Pete
About the author: Pete Tansley has been coaching and training individuals for weight loss, sports performance, general health, and corporate wellness on the Gold Coast since 2002. He also runs Priority 1 Fitness, one of the Gold Coast’s top personal training facilities in Burleigh Heads. His passion for helping people achieve their goals started after watching his mum coach elite and recreational swimmers from a very young age.
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
Great article Pete!
I’d like to ad that conversions are always better when all of this marketing is presented in front of your target market.
YOU HAVE TO WANT THE SALE TO MAKE THE SALE.
There’s no point doing all this work and talking to hundreds of people if the leads you’re generating are tire kickers and people that quite frankly, you don’t want to train.
Create a client avatar and research what makes them tick, then put all of these fantastic suggestions in THEIR faces and the conversions will come even easier.
Ben
{ 2 trackbacks }